Formatting date to yyyy-mm-dd in cell

Question

In [excel-vba], I am trying to format the text from a UserForm textbox, format it to yyyy-mm-dd and input it into a cell with the following code:

Private Sub GenerateButton_Click()
    Worksheets("Sheet1").Activate

    Sheet1.Unprotect
    Dim startTime, endTime, startDate
    startTime = t_daylasthour.Text
    endTime = t_daylasthour.Text
    startDate = t_startdate.Value

    Dim counter As Integer
    counter = 1

    Do
        Set field = ActiveWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1").Cells(counter + 1, 1)
        field.Value = Format(t_startdate.Text, "yyyy-mm-dd") 
        counter = counter + 1
    Loop While counter < 10

End Sub

The output in the cell keeps coming out in the form yyyy/mm/dd. Any other format that I try in my code appears to work. I tried yyyy - mm - dd for example, and it work, but everytime I try the format listed in the code above, it doesn't.

Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?

Answer 1

The value is coming in as text but the cell's General format is converting it to a true date value. It would be better to keep that true date value and change the cell's Range.NumberFormat property to display the date the way you want.

Do
    Set field = ActiveWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1").Cells(counter + 1, 1)
    field = CDate(t_startdate.Text) 
    field.NUMBERFORMAT = "yyyy-mm-dd"
    counter = counter + 1
Loop While counter < 10

Alternately, set the cell's Range.NumberFormat property to Text rather than General before setting the Range.Value property to text-that-looks-like-a-date.

Do
    Set field = ActiveWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1").Cells(counter + 1, 1)
    field.NUMBERFORMAT = "@"
    field.Value = Format(t_startdate.Text, "yyyy-mm-dd") 
    counter = counter + 1
Loop While counter < 10